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Being hired to manage an existing team offers some unique challenges. They may not trust you out of the gate, and you need to learn how they operate before you can have an impact.

From getting into the trenches with them to really listening one-on-one, there are a few ways you can learn the landscape and gain the respect of your team. To help, 14 technology executives from Forbes Technology Council offer their best advice -- from their own experience -- on joining a new team at the top and quickly earning their trust.

I've found the fastest path to respect is to get in the trenches alongside your new team. A good CTO should know how to write some code, and if you can find a small project to hammer out in a short amount of time, not only will you gain the respect of your team, but also a better understanding of the challenges they face. – Gideon Kimbrell,InList, Inc

2. Own the Why and Collaborate on the How

You must deeply understand why the team is building what it's building. Only then can you collaborate with them on how it will be built. Dictating the why and the how yourself will kill morale and cause everyone involved to feel a lesser degree of ownership in the outcome. The why should be stated as a problem. The how is your team's solution. Capitalize on the strengths of each individual member. – Dustin Henderlong, Threadless

There are people that work at companies for 20 years and never yearn to be a manager. Age is just a number. As a manager, whether you’re the oldest of the group or the youngest, it is imperative to come in with humility. Your team will likely know more than you, and that’s their job. Your job is to manage, and that means removing roadblocks and collaborating. – Marcin Kleczynski, Malwarebytes

4. Be a Coach and Learn the Landscape

Teams requiring new leadership benefit from a fresh look at the big picture. Speak to each developer and identify what makes them excited and what causes frustration. Determine the credibility of each point and make swift changes that remove friction and make space for flow. Be a coach and see the forest for the trees -- this is what the team is missing. Be an agent for positive change. – Dmitry Koltunov, ALICE

5. Get the Trenches

Get to know the team members. Meet with each person one-on-one and find out from them what has been working, and what hasn't been working. Ask for feedback on where they feel improvements can be made. Do all of this on day one. Follow up with a team meeting and lay out your plan. Tackle all the pain points immediately. Participate in every brainstorming session and contribute where needed. Earn their trust. – Ashley Saddul, Recruiter.com

6. Don't Force Unnecessary Change

The best way to approach leading a new team is getting to know the current environment and how they are used to working. If things are broken or inefficient, you can fix them soon after you've learned their way of life. Bringing in a storm of unnecessary change (switching IDEs or Project Management platforms without good reason) is a bad way to start out a relationship. Listen first, then speak. – Alan Romans, Ashland Health Center

7. Avoid Changes Until You Know the Current State and Reality

Listen and then act. Understand each team member beyond what they do on a daily basis at work by having one-on-one discussions. One thing I have learned is that if you listen to them, they will respect you, follow your leadership and trust you. Changes that are executed based on collaborative discussion among team members are always more impactful. It cultivates a healthier environment within the team. – Bishnu Nayak, FixStream Inc.

8. Put in the Face Time

Meet with every single team member to understand their personal and professional desires. We’re all just people, and we all want to be seen and encouraged to be the best version of ourselves. – Danny Boice, Trustify

9. Show them Respect

It is absolutely key that your new team becomes part of the decision-making process -- involve them in each step you take while accommodating within the new team. That will make them feel respected and taken into account. Another ingredient for a great start is open communication, and you are the responsible for leading by example by fostering healthy communication at all times. – Jose Giammattei, Applaudo Studios

10. Listen First and Don't Assume Anything

Stepping into an existing team can be challenging. Technical experts respect results, not words. This is why the idea of a "meritocracy" works so well in Open Source. Beyond that, treat them like humans. Listen, demonstrate empathy and assume they know more about what's going on than you do as the new person on the team. You'll earn their respect and be able to effectively lead quickly. – Mike Hostetler, TableXI, LLC

11. Learn, Take Feedback and Produce Results

Take time to learn as much as you can from the existing team. Determine any present potential issues or improvements that could be made. Chat regularly with the team about what can be done to improve the team productivity regardless of how productive the team already is. Take as much feedback from the team as possible. Respect will be earned over time as results are delivered. – Chalmers Brown, Due

12. Get to Know Them and Contribute Quickly

You should demonstrate that you understand the landscape, demonstrate strong leadership, and lead from the front line. More importantly, you should simultaneously establish trust with your employees at a broad and individual level. Get to know your team because you have a lot to learn from them too. – Tapio Tolvanen, BetterDoctor, Inc.

13. Listen and Understand

Be honest about what you don't know about the product or the space, but show that you are putting in the hours to understand it. This will earn respect. Take the time to understand the existing culture and why it is the way it is before you attempt to change it. This will reduce resentment. Break the ice by alleviating some frustrations the team has been experiencing prior to your arrival. – Brandon Allgood, Numerate, Inc

14. Dig in Quickly

Talk one-on-one as soon as possible and deeply understand what they are working on, what their challenges are and what resources they need. Hold a team meeting to set expectations and find out what the team expects of you. Determine if there are any team members who are not pulling their weight and deal with it quickly. Remember -- you work for the team, not vice versa. – Tammi Kroll, Gravity Payments

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only, fee-based organization comprised of elite CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Find out if you qualify at forbestechcouncil.com. Questions about an article? Email